A grieving mother is seeking answers following the tragic death of her son at a worksite in Suva. Anit Anitesh Ram, a resident of Vunivau and an employee of Energy Fiji Limited (EFL), reportedly suffered a fatal electric shock while on duty on Tuesday.
His mother, Puspha Wati, received a call from EFL around 9:22 a.m. informing her that Ram had been taken to Oceania Hospital after the incident. The family is devastated by the loss of their sole provider.
“I quickly tried to arrange a flight from Labasa to Suva to check on Anit’s condition, but after an hour, I received a call from my relatives informing me that he had passed away,” Ms. Wati recounted. She expressed frustration over her attempts to contact her son’s supervisor, which were unsuccessful, and noted the lack of communication from his employer during this difficult time.
Ms. Wati asserted that her son would never have behaved irresponsibly at work and is pressing EFL for answers. “EFL is usually prompt in sending out notifications regarding power outages, including the same day my son died when there was a power shutdown in Suva, which cut a Parliament session short. Yet, they withhold critical information from families regarding the loss of their employees,” she stated.
An email sent to EFL for a comment on the incident had not received a response by the time this article went to press. Ms. Wati mentioned that Ram joined EFL in November last year and had requested a transfer to be nearer to his family due to health concerns regarding her and her husband’s well-being.
“My husband and I are sickly, and recently Anit told us not to worry, assuring us that he would return soon,” the 45-year-old mother explained. She also shared that Ram had just celebrated his 26th birthday on August 11 and had expressed excitement about participating in the Labasa Sanatan soccer tournament during their last conversation the day before his death.
“We dedicated so many years to raising our child so he could have a better life and care for us in old age, but now we feel we have lost everything,” she lamented.
Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro reported that the victim was found unresponsive and is suspected to have been electrocuted. However, she noted that authorities are waiting for post-mortem results to determine the official cause of death.